A man charged with sending more than 27 million spam messages to Facebook users, turns himself in to authorities in California.

A 75-year-old pilot who caused a security alert when her plane strayed into restricted airspace during this week's presidential visit to Chicago has brushed off the incident.

Billionaire Warren Buffett's firm Berkshire Hathaway reports a sharp rise in profits due to strong returns on derivative investments.

Leading credit rating agency Standard & Poor's downgrades America's top-notch AAA rating for the first time ever, amid concerns over US debt.

The US, French and German leaders condemn Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for "indiscriminate violence" as anti-government protests continue across the country.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is to resume cancer treatment in Cuba, where he had a tumour removed in June.

Japanese PM Naoto Kan repeats a pledge to reduce the country's reliance on nuclear power, as it marks the 66th anniversary of the Hiroshima bombing.

A US helicopter crash in eastern Afghanistan kills 31 US special forces and seven Afghan soldiers, President Hamid Karzai's office says.